BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - St. Joseph residents are urged to find an alternative source for drinking water after Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a public health emergency Friday for the north Louisiana town.
Edwards declared the emergency after test results Thursday showed elevated levels of lead in two samples - one from a private residence and one from the Town Hall. Edwards, in a news release, said there were two other sites with elevated levels of copper, both at private residences.
The town has struggled with poor water quality for years because of a poorly maintained and deteriorating water distribution system, Edwards said. Construction is underway to fix the current system, but completion is months away, Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said.
In the meantime, the Louisiana Department of Health recommends residents use another water source to make ice, brush teeth or use in food preparation, Edwards said.
The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has released one month’s supply of bottled water to the town. Each person will receive 3 liters of water per day, beginning after 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Town Hall on Main Street. The bottled water supply will serve as a temporary remedy while the state works on establishing a more permanent water source alternative, such as trucking in water to distribute to residents, officials said.
“We’ll be looking at it over the next 30 days,” Carbo said.
Edwards has also ordered testing of every household in the town within four weeks to determine if there are other areas of concern.
The governor plans to visit St. Joseph next week to meet with residents and officials to discuss the situation.
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